Tag Archives: F1.8

At work yesterday, my office had a Thanksgiving Potluck, where some people brought dishes from their countries of origin. We had Mexican, Iraqi, and Chinese dishes along with traditional American Thanksgiving food. The best dish was the shrimp ceviche, Sinuhe (my co-worker) Style, which was just shrimp in a lemon/habenero pepper sauce with cut tomatoes, cucumbers, and so on. My second favorite was the Iraqi meat and okra dish which was in a tasty sauce, prepared by my co-worker Muna. Before the shrimp actually got to the serving table, Sinuhe and I had a few to show people that it was okay to eat raw shrimp. Shit was hella good.

Directions:

1. Bite shrimp up to point where headshell ends.
2. If you get legs in your bite, eat them anyway.
3. Suck the juices out of the headshell.
4. Throw the headshell out.
5. Realize what you have been missing in life.

Throughout lunch we made sure that we convinced all the weary to eat the raw shrimp and no one was unhappy with the dish after they tasted it. Some of the girls were even saying that they loved to suck the head, which turned into something a lot nastier, but you know.

Shrimp Before Preparation

Shrimp Before Preparation

Had to Test a Couple to Make Sure it Was Safe to Eat

Had to Test a Couple to Make Sure it Was Safe to Eat

After You Bite It and Suck the Head

After You Bite It and Suck the Head

Final Preparation

Final Preparation

Manuel Chopping Tamales

Manuel Chopping Tamales

Jade Hiding Behind a Semi-Consumed Nacho Chip

Jade Hiding Behind a Semi-Consumed Nacho Chip

Jose Waiting in a Chow Line

Jose Waiting in a Chow Line

James Stole Jade's Spotlight

James Stole Jade's Spotlight

June Getting Some of That Good Ass Raw Shrimp

June Getting Some of That Good Ass Raw Shrimp

I left work at 3:30 yesterday to head up to San Jose with my co-worker Manuel and his boyfriend Leo. We actually took the 2 to the 210 to avoid traffic. We passed by the aftermath of the fires in Sylmar, which humbled us all a little bit when we saw houses burned down to the ground. I was taking shots in the car on the way up but most of them sucked. I liked this one though.

Power Poles from Car

Power Poles from the Car

Even though I am from San Francisco, my friends need to go to Saratoga in the morning so I asked my cousin Kris, who lives in downtown San Jose while he attends San Jose State University, if we could spend the night there. When we got there, Kris and I started fucking with the Hookah as I drank a can of MGD: Charcoal Filtered…yum…sike. We were also blowing some smoke bubbles with the contraption in the “WTF!!” picture below.

Directions:

1. Take a hit of the hookah.
2. Dip the half bottle into the bubble soap.
3. Blow the smoke into the mouth of the half bottle and make a bubble.
4. Twist your wrist and pull the half bottle away.
5. Watch your smoke bubble and be proud of your achievement.
6. Go to the bar and get wasted.

So after smoking the very thick hookah, we decided to go to the bars in Downtown San Jose. The first bar we went to was playing rock music mixed by some unknown DJ. The music was way too loud but the beers were reasonably priced ($5). There was no cover either. The second bar was better but similar because they had no cover and $5 beers. The music and the DJ was better at the second bar. I wish I had names of these bars but I don’t pay attention to that shit. Downtown San Jose is a pretty cool place to party, even on a Thursday night, with a bunch of newer bars and clubs.

Hookah Biiiiiiaaaaaaaattttttttcccccccchhhhhhhh!!!  j/p

Hookah Biiiiiiaaaaaaaattttttttcccccccchhhhhhhh!!! j/p

Have You Ever Seen A Bubble?  Have You Ever Seen A Bubble On Weeeeeeed?

Have You Ever Seen A Bubble? Have You Ever Seen A Bubble On Weeeeeeed?

WTF??

WTF??

I decided to take shots in and around my cousin’s apartment. Here are the results.

Proper Storage Protocol & Beer Bottle Recycling

Proper Storage Protocol & Beer Bottle Recycling

Yeah, its a Iron, And...

Yeah, its a Iron, And...

10 to Follow.  The Eyes are Watching you.

10 to Follow. The Eyes are Watching you.

Kris and I went to go have breakfast at this spot across the street from SJSU. I got a huge plate of hash browns, eggs, toast, and sausages for less than $4. It was pretty good too. We then took a little walk through SJSU to a statue of the scene from the 1968 Olympics where Tommie Smith and John Carlos gave the Black Panther salute while they received their Gold and Bronze medals, respectively.

At a Restaurant Across the Street from SJSU

At a Restaurant Across the Street from SJSU

Salt & Pepper

Salt & Pepper

Black Power at SJSU

Black Power at SJSU

You Heard Me the First Time

You Heard Me the First Time

After getting back to my cousin’s hometown, I wanted to try to take advantage of the great views offered in Pacifica. I didn’t get much this time but I will be in the Bay Area for a week, so I will have my second chance. I did get to see a castle style house or building that was out of nowhere.

At the Castle in Pacifica

At the Castle in Pacifica

Pacifica Pier from the Castle

Pacifica Pier from the Castle

I Wish!! Artwork in Pacifica

I Wish!! Artwork in Pacifica

First two days in the Bay almost done…

Everyday this lens just amazes me more. I still run into issues when I get into new or different lighting situations. I still lose some good shots though because my settings are off or I can’t hold the camera steady because I had way too much to drink. No matter the case, here are some shots that came out that look decent without post-edits.

Under California Plaza

Under California Plaza

ART at the Neon Art Museum

ART at the Neon Art Museum

Neon

Neon

Neon

Neon

Rear View

Rear View

Lower Grand

Lower Grand

Lower Grand

Lower Grand

Number 1 Pigeon Chill Spot

Number 1 Pigeon Chill Spot

I use a Nikon D40 as my weapon of choice but I never seem to get good lighting or depth of field using the standard zoom lenses. I just picked up a 50mm F1.8 D Lens for about $100 new.

Nikon D40 with 6.1 MP

Nikon D40 with 6.1 MP

Nikon 50mm F1.8 D Lens

Nikon 50mm F1.8 D Lens

I got the lens in the mail yesterday morning and tried to take a couple shots but they were coming out pretty bad. I had to mess around with the settings and the viewfinder a little to finally get some better shots.

The shots are very bright. I took shots in complete darkness and they still had a lot of light. The depth of field is pretty amazing as well. It truly changes my whole idea of how to take a picture and I will be using it like crazy. The lens is super small too which is a big plus. Not having a zoom will take some getting used to because I usually take some close up pictures of people and objects from far distances and now I have to get in people’s faces. Which brings up a question I have never got an answer for. How do those photographer’s get those shots of random people where they are right in their face? I always feel like I will get a punch in the mouth if I take a picture of a random person.

Next step in my quest to take better pictures: Take a class!!!

James at the Company Open House

James at the Company Open House

My Eddie Bauer Lens Bag

My Eddie Bauer Lens Bag

Headphones and Keyboards

Headphones and Keyboards

It's A Cap

It's A Cap

The Pile of Papers My Girlfriend Keeps Bothering Me About

The Pile of Papers My Girlfriend Keeps Bothering Me About

Headphones

Headphones